<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p> The present article investigates two questions: What determines citizens’ use of different media to seek information in a crisis situation, and what influences their evaluation of the information found. The case analysed is a major fire at a chemical storage facility in the harbour of Halmstad in Sweden, where there was a risk of toxic fumes reaching the city and its approximately 60,000 inhabitants. The study is part of a larger project, financed by the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, and in this part, focus group interviews are analysed. The results point to an interaction between citizens’ perception of the world, the perceived information, and the development of how the situation is regarded, where sensemaking is the pivotal concept.</p></abstract>

The present article investigates two questions: What determines citizens’ use of different media to seek information in a crisis situation, and what influences their evaluation of the information found. The case analysed is a major fire at a chemical storage facility in the harbour of Halmstad in Sweden, where there was a risk of toxic fumes reaching the city and its approximately 60,000 inhabitants. The study is part of a larger project, financed by the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, and in this part, focus group interviews are analysed. The results point to an interaction between citizens’ perception of the world, the perceived information, and the development of how the situation is regarded, where sensemaking is the pivotal concept.

The Dynamics of Sensemaking and Information Seeking in a Crisis Situation

Department of Journalism, Media and Communication, University of Gothenburg

Senior lecturer, Department of Journalism, Media and Communication, University of Gothenburg

Nordicom Review

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

{"article-title":"The Dynamics of Sensemaking and Information Seeking in a Crisis Situation"}

The present article investigates two questions: What determines citizens’ use of different media to seek information in a crisis situation, and what influences...

The Dynamics of Sensemaking and Information Seeking in a Crisis Situation

Published Online: Jun 15, 2016

Page range: 71 - 84

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/nor-2016-0003

Keywords
crisis communication, media use, sensemaking, focus groups, Halmstad, fire

© by Orla Vigsø

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

The Dynamics of Sensemaking and Information Seeking in a Crisis Situation

Published Online: Jun 15, 2016

Page range: 71 - 84

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/nor-2016-0003

Keywordscrisis communication, media use, sensemaking, focus groups, Halmstad, fire

© by Orla Vigsø

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Keywords
crisis communication, media use, sensemaking, focus groups, Halmstad, fire